Stephen Chidwick Leads Final 6; Goes For Third US Poker Open Win
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To say that Stephen Chidwick is crushing the 2018 US Poker Open would be an understatement. The 28-year old pro has made his fourth final table of the festival and leads the final six players into Day 2 of the USPO #06 - $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em event, gunning for his third title.
After spiking a queen on the river to double through Isaac Haxton with just 10 players remaining, the short-stacked Chidwick went on a tear finding another miracle river against Larry Greenberg moments later. The two double ups propelled Chidwick all the way to the seven-handed final table where he eliminated Daniel Negreanu to take the chip lead and end play for the night.
Final Table Lineup:
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephen Chidwick | United Kingdom | 1,348,000 | 84 |
| 2 | Isaac Haxton | United States | 1,132,000 | 71 |
| 3 | Brian Green | United States | 876,000 | 55 |
| 4 | Elijah Berg | United States | 566,000 | 35 |
| 5 | Jason Koon | United States | 1,055,000 | 66 |
| 6 | Benjamin Pollak | France | 1,197,000 | 75 |
The sixth event of the 2018 USPO drew a total of 49 entries by the time registration came to a close; building a prize pool of $1,225,000, the largest of the festival thus far. Some of the best No-Limit Hold'em players in the world took a seat but only seven of them would walk away richer than they entered.
The likes of Adrian Mateos, Antonio Esfandiari, David Peters, Brandon Adams, Bryn Kenney, Erik Seidel, and Phil Hellmuth all tested their luck on the felt this afternoon but none had any on their side, all falling well before the money.
Brian Rast, Justin Bonomo, and Rodger Johnson were the last players to exit before Greenberg busted on the bubble. Greenberg three-bet jammed on Daniel Negreanu's small-blind open with king-queen and Negreanu put him at risk with ace-nine. Negreanu found an ace on the flop and consolidated the field to a single table.
The battle at the final table lasted the better part of two levels before a "misstep" by Negreanu ended play for the night. Negreanu limped from the small blind with ace-nine and three-bet jammed over Chidwick's big blind raise running right into Chidwick's ace-king. Chidwick would hold, busting Negreanu in seventh place, and taking over the chip lead at the same time.
Chidwick is the overwhelming leader in the US Poker Open money race and will undoubtedly take a stranglehold on the trophy wherever he may end up cashing on Thursday's final table. Benjamin Pollak and Isaac Haxton are each making their second final tables after meeting Chidwick in the $25,000 Mixed Game Championship Finale earlier this week. The rest of the finalists are making their first cash of the series.
Here's what the players will battle for at the final table:
| Place | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|
| 1 | $416,500 |
| 2 | $269,500 |
| 3 | $183,750 |
| 4 | $122,500 |
| 5 | $98,000 |
| 6 | $73,500 |
Blinds will continue in the level 8,000/16,000 with a big blind ante of 16,000.
Some of the game's best are clashing at the $25,000 No-limit Hold'em final table at the US Poker Open, starting at 4pm ET on PokerGO. Live updates will be provided by PokerNews in case you can't watch it all, but if you have the time, sign up for PokerGO and see if Stephen Chidwick can capture his third USPO title!
board and once again, Negreanu fell in seventh place.
and Greenberg three-bet jammed from the big blind holding the 
. A 
gave the nod to Negreanu and Greenberg was eliminate don the bubble.
and an ace in the door sealed Esfandiari's fate, falling in 13th place.
runout.
board and Smith's pair held to score the double up.
